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Crews battling deadly California wildfire slowed by returning winds

Aug 03 2018

Firefighters in northern California are defeating the savage, ten-day-old fire blaze that has demolished more than 1,000 homes as experts expatriate the neighborhood with a few individuals being discovered alive.

The Carr Fire has destroyed more than 1,546 structures in and around Redding, a city of 90,000 people about 160 miles (260 km) north of the state capital, Sacramento. The fire was nearly 35 percent contained, and thousands of residents were allowed to return to their neighborhoods. Get the full story in the video above.

Yosemite Valley and other areas of the park have been closed to tourists since July 25 because of heavy smoke from the fire, which has burned almost 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) and is only partially contained.

Cal Fire had dispatched very large air tankers to the fire, which had burned through brush and timber near residences on Wednesday.

Redding police said everyone reported missing in Shasta County had been found.

California governor Jerry Brown said the wildfire season was the "new normal" for the state. The Shasta County Sheriff's Office said it took 60 missing persons reports in the early days of the fire.

As many as 14,600 residents have been evacuated, fire officials said, and more than 12,000 structures are threatened.

When asked about the potential for larger fires this summer and fall, Brown said: "I don't have a crystal ball here but I would not be surprised if there were more fires..."

Others were frustrated by the lack of information about the status of their homes from authorities overwhelmed by fighting the fire.

In the Redding area, where the Carr Fire has killed six people, including two firefighters, fierce winds of 25 miles (40 km) per hour, temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) and extremely low humidity were in the forecast from Thursday evening until Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

Below, a CAL FIRE Battalion Chief explains how they fight fires when you don't have enough resources.

Dubbed the Eel fire, it started about 3:30 p.m.in the Black Butte River Ranch area.